Improved appaeatus foe caebueettfflg aie



L. STEVENS.

Apparatus for C'arbureting Air.

Patented May 28, 1867.

N. PEI'EHS. Pnoloum n hen Washingnn, 0.0.

guitar giant gaunt @ffirr.

LEVI STEVENS, OF FITOHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR TO NORMAN O.MUNSON, OF SHIRLEY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 65,296, dated ZlIag 28, 1867.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR OARBURETTING AIR.

TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

Be it known that I, LEVI ,STEV ENS, of Fitchburg, in the county ofWorcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an ImprovedApparatus for Carburetting Air, or vaporizing a volatile hydrocarbon,and mixing air therewith, for the purpose of'producing light and heat bythe combustion of the mixture; and I do hereby declare the same to befully described in the following specification, and represented in theaccompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a top view.

Figure 2, a front elevation.

Figure 3, a rear elevation.

Figure 4, a side elevation; and

Figure 5, a longitudinal section of such apparatus.

Figure 6 is a vertical section, taken lengthwise through its vaporizer,and the tank or reservoir beneath the same.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section of such vaporizer, such being takenthrough its tortuous passage.

Figure 8 is a vertical section of the elevator by which the hydrocarbonfluid is extracted from the tank and delivered into the vaporizer.

In the various kinds of air-carburetting apparatus in which air is madeto flow through a vaporizer for containing and vaporizing a hydrocarbonfluid, the pumping or air-mixing apparatus employed has been so appliedas to force the air into and through the vaporizer, water being used inthe meter or pumping-wheel case to aid such wheel in its operations. Inmy improved apparatus the air-pump is employed to draw air into andthrough the vaporizer, and thereby extract from it the mixture of airand vapor, such being drawn into the meter-wheel case of the pumpingapparatus. Furthermore, I have so combined and arranged the vaporizerand the meterwheel case or air-exhausting apparatus that the hydrocarbonfluid may flow freely from the vaporizer into the case of the pumpingapparatus, and serve in the place of water or a separate liquid, asgenerally used with the wheel and its case. Under, this improvement thepumping apparatus or meter-wheel, and its case, becomes an additionalmeans of aiding in the evaporation or vaporizing and aeration of theliquid.

In the drawings, A denotes the meter-wheel, and 13 its case, the sameconstituting the main parts of what may be termed the air-forcingapparatus, and being constructed like the corresponding parts of acommon wet gas meter used in measuring the flowage of gas. The shaft Oof the meter-wheel projects through one end of the case. A train ofgears, a I; e d, connects the said shaft with a horizontal shaft, D,which extends along underneath the case B, and a tank, E, arranged inrear of the said case. The shaft D, while the apparatus may be in use,is to be put in revolution by suitable means, the gravitating power of aweight being generally employed for such purpose, and in a manner wellunderstood by persons skilled in the art to which the apparatusappertains. Directly over the tank E is the vaporizer F, which consistsof an oblong and closed vessel, provided with an induction pipe, e,which enters its top and opens directly into a circular box or vessel,f, whose top around the pipe 0 is perforated with a series of holes,which are covered by a flat, annular valve or ring, h. The said valveapparatus not only will allow the passage of air into the vaporizer whenthe exhaust-pump may be at Work, but it will prevent the escape of thehydrocarbon vapor of the vaporizer through the inlet-tube 0, wheneverthe pump may not be in action. Underneath the boxf there is an inclinedplane, 2', arranged within and across the reservoir from side to side,and end to end, or thereabouts, the said plane being perforated withnumerous holes. Below the partition are two or any other suitablenumbcrof wire gauze partitions, 70 Z, which I term the dissemina tor.Furthermore, below the said disseminator is a series of inclinedperforated planes or plates, m n 0, each of which is covered with one ormore layers of cloth, or its equivalent. Below the series of planes m n0 there is a tortuous passage, G, formed by a horizontal plate, 9, and astrip of metal, 7, the said strip being extended downward from the saidplate, and bent in manner as shown in fig. 7. It is intended that thehydrocarbon liquid in the vaporizer shall extend above the lower edge ofthe strip 7, in manner as shown at s s. A bent pipe, t, leads from theinner terminus of the tortuous passage into the air-exhausting orpumping apparatus, in manner as-shown in fig. 5. From the meter-wheelcase one or more pipes, a, load into the lower auras part of thevaporizer or liquid space thereof, in order that the hydrocarbon liquidmay enter the case B, and stand at the same level therein, as in thevaporizer. The meter-wheel, while rotating, wallows or runs in thehydrocarbon liquid, which in my apparatus I use in the place of water asusually employed-in a gas-meter, or in the same when combined with avaporizer and used therewith for carburetting air.

From the above it will be seen that by the'movement of the wheel in thehydrocarbon liquid, the pumping apparatus not only performs its functionof drawing air into and from the vaporizer, but acts as an additionalmeans of vaporizing the liquid, for by the wheel A agitating the liquidwithin the case B, and elevating more or less of it above the uppersurface of such liquid, it will facilitate or effect the evaporization.of more or less of the liquid.

The mixed air and vapor received into the case B may be led therefromthrough an educt, u, opening out of the top of the said case. There is asmall filling tunnel, 1), (provided with a screw-cap, 211,) on the caseB.

When the cup is oif the tunnelthe hydrocarbon fluid lnay be poured intothe latter, and from thence will run 7 into the case B, and will rise inthe same to the level of the pipes at u. Flowing through the said pipesat u the liquid will pass into the vaporizer and rise therein up to thetop-of a pipe, x, which extends up from and leads out of the tank E, andis open at its upper end. After having arisen to the top of. the pipe11;, the liquid will flow from such pipe and descend into and fill thetank E. From the tank E an elevator, H, arranged in rear of the tank andthe vaporizer, will transfer the liquid to the upper part of thevaporizer, and so as to cause such liquid to flow upon the perforatedplane 2'. This elevator consists of an endless belt, a, provided with aseries of buckets, y 3/, and extended around two pulleys, b 0, arrangedwithin a long case, d, which at its lower end opens into the tank. Inpassing around the higher of the pulleys, each bucket will discharge itsliquid contents into a spout, a, leading into the upper part of thevaporizer. For. operating the elevator there is a grooved.

pulley, f, fixed on the shaft of the pulley 0. Around the pulley f and apulley, g, fixed on the shaft D, a crossed band, 7/, runs. Thus, whilethe shaft may be in rotation, motion from it will be communicated to thepulley f and the elevator.

In the operation of the above-described apparatus, the liquidhydrocarboh thrown into the upper part of the vaporizer will run downthe plane 2', and trickle through its holes upon the'disseminator ofwire gauze, by which the liquid will be separated into numerous verysmall streams, and will fall upon and slowly descend the cloth of theplane 111. After the said cloth may have been saturated with the liquid,the surplus liquid will drop on and descend-tho cloth n of the plane n,which in turn will become saturated with the liquid, the surplus ofwhich will fall upon the cloth of the plane 0. After this latter clothmay have become saturated, the surplus liquid from it will drip into theliquid at the bottom of the vaporizer. By means of the cloths a greatamount'of evaporating surface will be exposed to the air while beingdrawn through the vaporizer. In this way the vaporization of the liquidwill take place, and the air mixed with the vapor produced will flowinto and through the tortuous passage G, and over the surface of theliquid at the bottom thereof. In passing over such surface the airwillcausc an additional evaporation of the liquid. Finally, the air,with the vapor so produced, will be drawn into the case B of themeter-wheel A, from whence the mixture of air and vapor may be led bythe educt to one or more burners, on which it may be burned for thepurpose of illumination or heat.

Having thus described my improved air-carburetting apparatus, and itsmode of operation, what I claim thereof as of my invention is asfollows: I

I do not claim the combination of an air-forcing apparatus with thevuporizerof the hydrocarbon.

I claim the combination of an air-exhausting apparatus with thevaporizer, separate or distinct, in such manner that air may be drawnthrough the vaporizer, and, with the hydrocarbon vapors thereof, bedrawn out of such vaporizer and into such exhausting apparatus, thewhole being substantially as described.

I also claim the arrangement and connection of the air-pumping apparatusand the vaporizer, separate or distinct, in such manner that thehydrocarbon fluid may pass freely frou one into the other of them, so asto stand at-one level in both, and so that the wheel of the pumpingapparatus,-'while in rotation, may revolve in such liquid as specified.

I also claim the combination of the fluid elevator audits operativemechanism, or their equivalents, with the tank E, the vaporizer, and theair-pumping apparatus.

I also claim the combination of the wire-gauze disseminator is Z withthe perforated distributor i, and the series of inclined plates orevaporating surfaces arranged beneath the same, as specified.

I also claim the combination of one or more plates m n 0, and clothsppp,arranged together in the vaporizer in manner and so as to operate as setforth. v

I also claim the combination of the tortuous passage G, at the lowerpart of the vaporizer, with the series of perforated plates m n 0,covered with layers of cloth, as explained.

I also claim the arrangement of the tank E with the vaporizer and theair-pumping apparatus, such tank being made to communicate with thevaporizer by means of an overflow pipe, :21, leading up into thevaporizer,

as specified.

I also claim the peculiar valve apparatus at the top of the vaporizer,the same consisting of the tube e, the box f, the holes g g, and theannular valve 7:, arranged together as described.

I also claim the combination of the fluid elevator and its operativemechanism, or their equivalents, with the vaporizer, arrangedsubstantially as described.

I also claim the fluid elevator, or its equivalent, so arranged asautomatically to elevate the carburetting liquid to the top or upperpart of the vaporizer, substantially as described.

LEVI STEVENS.

Vitnesses:

-R. H. EDDY,

NATHL O. FowLER.

